After going through a six-month business accelerator program, 15 local Black entrepreneurs graduated on July 30th at the Arizona Heritage center. The graduation consisted of a business exposition to showcase the businesses, and a ceremony to celebrate their achievements over the past six months.

This month we’re featuring one of our newest members - Desert Moon Market! This woman-owned business is a desert lovers paradise. Owner Alex has filled her shop with home decor and clothing inspired by the desert and an upcoming beauty line made with the healing elements of Arizona. Get to know her and head over to Carefree to puruse this local gem!

We’re adding 18 new businesses to the We Rise family! The We Rise program is all about supporting Arizona’s Black-owned businesses and we invite you to check out our newest cohort. You’ll find make-up artists, clothing, adminstrative assistance, food and more! 

Just one thing. One special thing worth seeing for yourself. Worth the extra miles. Worth the time. If a rural Arizona community has just one big thing that will attract visitors, it is an economic asset to use to the fullest extent. But if you know rural Arizona, you know a community always has far more than one special something.

Iconic rock band The Eagles gave Winslow an everlasting gift with one lyric that has attracted thousands of visitors to stand on the Route 66 corner made famous by a song. This gift of music continued developing the area’s identity along the lines of the arts, which have helped strengthen the community’s character and appeal far beyond any single attraction.

Javier y Verónica Acosta son empresarios locales graduados de la sexta generación del Programa Acelerador de Negocios de Fuerza Local en el año 2016 con JJ Publicidad LLC.

Esta historia de emprendimiento, pasión y tenacidad inició en el año 2011 con el nacimiento de JJ Publicidad LLC, siendo esta misma empresa la base para el surgimiento de 2 grandes proyectos que conocemos hoy como Entre Mujeres Radio y Decibel Academia.

Javier y Verónica iniciaron su carrera desde muy jóvenes, contando ya con más de 30 años de experiencia …..

We’ve come to the close of another successful We Rise business accelerator cohort! Sixteen business owners met over the last six months to learn about entrepreneurship and connect with other Black-owned businesses. Meet Kem Matthews, Brittny Johnson, and Joe Diggs – a few recent graduates – and see how We Rise is powering Arizona’s Black entrepreneurs one business at a time.

Calling local businesses: do you have a community or sustainability project in mind? We can connect you to experts and resources to help you get started. The next cohort of SCALE UP begins August 23, 2022!

New EV-ready building codes move The City of Tempe closer to becoming carbon neutral by 2050. But how will local businesses and nonprofits benefit? Here are 10 reasons for business owners to get excited about EVs and EV charging stations.

Nick Wayne has been serving up craft cocktails using molecular mixology to tipplers in Tucson since 2015. Now he's ready to serve Downtown's public planters with rainwater on tap from HighWire Lounge's brand new 1,600 gallon rainwater harvesting system. This is one of many initiatives HighWire owner Nick Wayne is taking on to conserve Arizona's most precious resource. Read on to learn how he is helping to lead the charge in creating a resilient and self-sustaining Downtown Tucson.

Close your eyes and picture your neighborhood. Picture the homes, the parks, and the open spaces. Now picture the businesses in your neighborhood. Imagine that instead of your favorite unique local businesses, all the places are the same cookie-cutter concepts. The same coffee shop; the same restaurant; the same boutique; the same repair shop.

That is the effect of big box and big tech.

On the second Tuesday of every month, the Verde Village Property Owners Association meets to give community members an opportunity to gather, plan, and connect. We’re proud to have an organization so dedicated to building a stronger community as a Local First Arizona member! Get to know them and why they are excited and dedicated to do what they do.

As the heart of Arizona wine country, the Cottonwood area boasts local wineries as well as tasting rooms for vineyards throughout the state like Pillsbury Wine Company. Weekendzona guests enjoyed two wine tastings and a tour of the Southwest Wine Center in Clarkdale, where they learned how students run the process from growing the grapes to bottling, naming and labeling the wines each season. For a unique dinner experience, guests were invited to Blazin’ M Ranch, a Western-themed frontier town where activities include bull riding, axe-throwing and a tractor pull before a live-music stage show over a barbecue dinner served chuck wagon style.

A higher percentage of Arizonans quit their jobs in March 2022 than almost anywhere in the nation. Whether this is due to employees making big personal decisions about life changes or the fact they have an abundance of available positions in our state to choose from, it’s clear that this is a job seeker’s market.

Adrian y Mary Pineda son los fundadores de Pineda 's Auto Glass LLC, una compañía local en Phoenix, Arizona que abrió sus puertas en agosto de 2010 especializada en el reemplazo de parabrisas y ventanas para todo tipo de automóviles, compostura de reguladores y polarizados.

Esta gran historia de superación nació hace más de 30 años cuando Adrian Pineda aún era muy joven y daba sus primeros pasos en esta industria. Inició a los 17 años en la ciudad de México trabajando para una compañía donde pudo conocer todo acerca de las instalaciones de parabrisas de autos y años después le ofrecieron la oportunidad de poder viajar a Estados Unidos para trabajar en otra compañía por 4 años.

Proudly placed on the corner of 7th Avenue and W. Highland is a local business ready to help you connect to yourself and to this planet we call home. Majestic Earth is a proud LGBTQIA+ friendly business and owner Steve Milweed says his store is full of “gifts from Gaia (the Greek goddess of Earth, mother of all life).”

Featuring its distinct call-to-action card, Independents Week encourages Arizonans to “go local” by supporting as many locally owned businesses as possible. Each year, traditionally over the first week of July, first-timers and returning customers across the state discover new and fun ways to support Arizona’s small, independent businesses!